The Baltic Sea agenda for sustainable blue growth, adopted by the European Commission on 16 May 2014, provides a blueprint for harnessing the region’s strengths to boost innovation and growth in the maritime area. Sustainability is an integral part of the plan as it can act as a driver for innovation and more jobs, like in the area of clean shipping.

The blue economy is already creating new jobs in Europe but we have only scratched the surface of its potential. We have been thinking about how to build on existing progress and how we can benefit from new research insights to ensure that this blue economy can continue to generate jobs across Europe. Article by Maria Damanaki.

This year's European Maritime Day Conference held over the 19 & 20 May in Bremen, saw industry experts and policy makers from across Europe come together to discuss how innovation and research in the maritime economy can drive a European growth and jobs recovery whilst securing a sustainable future for Europe's seas.

On 6 June 2014 in Athens, a conference on Maritime Spatial Planning and ports will gather experts, industries and NGOs to discuss the coexistence and synergies between shipping and other maritime sectors in a context of increasing use of marine space.